Azeem Rafiq Claims He Was Forced To Leave England After Being Abused For Criticising Racism
Published - 14 Dec 2022, 02:35 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:15 AM
Azeem Rafiq, a former player for Yorkshire, claimed he was “forced out” of England after discussing his encounters with racism at the county club last year and that he continues to receive no assistance from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Rafiq, a former captain of the England Under-19 team and a person of Pakistani heritage, admitted to receiving persistent racist abuse and having suicidal thoughts while playing for Yorkshire to the Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) committee in November 2021.
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His accusations of pervasive racism shook English cricket, forcing the club to make significant changes and inspiring additional victims to come forward.
The 31-year-old stated in a second interview with the DCMS panel on Tuesday that despite now having round-the-clock security from the ECB, he did not feel supported.
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“In the last couple of months, I’ve had 24-7 security, yet I have been forced to leave. Security has been adequate throughout, although there has been no protection at times,” Rafiq told the committee.
“I believe the ECB was involved in the leaking and planting of stories about me. My medical records and data have been shared. That is something I have mentioned to the new ECB chair Richard Thompson.”
“I’ve felt that wherever there has been any possibility to undermine my experiences, I felt that even the ECB has tried to do that. Individuals, in my opinion, are irrelevant. Cricket’s structural issues are even more serious” Azeem Rafiq Added.
“I’ve been attacked and abused”: Azeem Rafiq
Rafiq claimed that among the abuse he endured was witnessing a man defecate in front of his parent’s home.
“The way I’ve been attacked and abused, why would you speak out? “I have a little hope in the new ECB leadership, but it’s extremely small right now,” Rafiq remarked.
Offspinner Azeem Rafiq, who moved to England from Pakistan in 2001, has played for England’s Under-15 and Under-17 sides, the latter as captain, as well as advancing through the Yorkshire age groups.
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